Robert Stethem

Robert Dean Stethem (November 17, 1961 – June 15, 1985) was a United States Navy Seabee diver who was murdered by Hezbollah members during the hijacking of the commercial airliner he was aboard, TWA Flight 847.

At the time of his death, his Navy rating was Steelworker Second Class (SW2).

He was posthumously promoted to Master Chief Constructionman (CUCM).

Stethem was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, but grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Waldorf, Maryland.

He was one of four children.

His father, Richard Stethem, retired from the Navy as a Senior Chief after 20 years, continuing to work for it as a civilian afterwards.

His mother, Patricia, served in the Navy before raising her family, continuing to serve in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces afterwards.

His brother, Chief Boatswain's Mate Kenneth Stethem, was a Navy SEAL and brother Diver First Class Patrick Stethem served in Underwater Construction Team One for 10 years – the same unit in which Robert served.

Stethem had one sister, Sheryl Sierralta.

The hijackers held 39 people hostage for 17 days, demanding the release of 766 Lebanese and Palestinians taken prisoner by Israel since the 1978 Israeli military invasion and occupation of Lebanon.

When the hijackers' demands were not met, Stethem, as a member of the U.S. military (understood to be aligned with Israel), was targeted and beaten.

Finally, he was shot in the temple and his body was left on the tarmac at the Beirut airport.

He graduated from Thomas Stone High School in 1980, where he played defensive back on the varsity and junior varsity football teams.

He also played Little League baseball.

Stethem joined the Navy shortly after graduating, reporting for duty on May 4, 1981.

In the Navy, Stethem was a Seabee Steelworker assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 62 in Gulfport, Mississippi.

He served multiple tours on Diego Garcia and Guam.

Later, Stethem became a 2nd Class Navy Diver and was assigned to the Navy's Underwater Construction Team One in Little Creek, Virginia.

On June 14, 1985, Stethem was returning from an assignment in Nea Makri, Greece, aboard TWA Flight 847 when it was hijacked by men associated with the Lebanese organization Hezbollah.

The remaining Flight 847 hostages were released on June 30, 1985.

In the weeks following, Israel released more than 700 Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners from Atlit Prison Camp in Israel.

One of the hijackers, Mohammed Ali Hammadi, was arrested two years later in Frankfurt, Germany.

Stethem was portrayed by Steven Eckholdt in the 1988 TV movie The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story.

A book "Fire Arrow" by Franklin Allen Leib, Ballantine Books, October 1989, ISBN 0-8041-0421-2, is dedicated to the memory of Robert Dean Stethem, Navy Diver, Brother in Arms, Victim of terrorism.

In 2002, they were added to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list.

He was tried and convicted of Stethem's murder and sentenced to life in prison but was released in 2005 after serving 19 years.

Three others, Imad Mugniyah, Hassan Izz-Al-Din, and Ali Atwa, were eventually indicted for their involvement in the incident.

On February 13, 2008, Mugniyah was killed in an explosion in Damascus, Syria.

Stethem was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 59, Grave 430, near other American victims of international terrorism.

On August 24, 2010, in Yokosuka, Japan, on board the ship named after him – the USS Stethem (DDG-63) – Stethem was made an honorary Master Chief Constructionman (CUCM) by order of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.

His brother, Kenneth, accepted the certificate and decorations on behalf of the Stethem family.

On April 24, 2015, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus presented the Prisoner of War medal to Stethem's parents.

The following are named after Stethem:

A scene from the movie The Delta Force shows a U.S. Navy diver being beaten, tortured, murdered and his body being dumped onto the tarmac.

This scene is based on Stethem.